|
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Cuizon has been in, out of troubles for 2 decades
Antonio “Tony” Cuizon’s “good” relationship with the management of Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. (ACMDC) may have triggered the attempt on his life yesterday morning.
According to Benny Jumao-as, secretary of Panaghiusa sa mga Mamumuo sa Atlas (Pama), Cuizon not only helped members of his union, he also worked so that members of other unions were paid by ACMDC.
Jumao-as said these were members of the labor unions led by Marcos Billones and Macario Alcontin.
He believes the shooting was labor-related.
He said some members have dropped their membership with these unions to join Pama and get paid their dues from ACMDC.
Jumao-as told Sun.Star Cebu that 146 members were also paid because of Cuizon’s efforts.
He said another batch was set to go to court tomorrow to deny involvement in the accusations ACMDC had hurled against some former employees.
He could not say, though, if the two labor leaders had a hand in the shooting.
Cuizon had other cases.
The police blotter at the Don Andres Soriano (DAS) Police Sub-station shows that five people accused him of harassment last Oct. 5.
Mario Tabor, 43, Claudio Billones, 30, Joselito Nuñez, 21, Robert Jansen Sandag, 30, and Danilo Carmelotes, 26, reported to the police station that Cuizon hit them with his .45 pistol and set fire to their makeshift shed inside the ACMDC compound.
Cuizon also allegedly took Claudio’s wallet with P1,000 inside.
The five said Cuizon reeked of liquor that time.
The five are said to be members of the union headed by Billones.
Sun.Star Cebu went to Billones’ house in Barangay DAS, but he was reportedly out.
However, Jumao-as said these allegations were made up to make Cuizon look bad.
He said other people were threatened by Cuizon and feared that he would have influence over the management, especially since there were rumors that the mines would be opened by 2007 and would be managed by new investors.
Aside from this, Cuizon also reportedly put up cooperatives engaged in piggery and scrap metal.
Naga Police Chief Renato Malazarte also said Cuizon, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, had pending cases in the town.
They have yet to look at their records, though, Trouble has hounded Cuizon for almost two decades, mostly in connection with his work at ACMDC in Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City and his alliance with left-leaning groups.
Cuizon, who founded Pama in the early 1980s, has been engaged in a rivalry with Modelo-Ilo, said to be a military-backed labor union of former radioman Pastor Alcover Jr.
But Alcover, who also owns a security agency that operates nationwide, said it was Cuizon and Pama that sowed fear in the mining areas of Toledo City.
In 1993, Cuizon led a big strike that paralyzed the ACMDC operations. The mining firm had allegedly wanted to retrench workers.
Pama leaders refused to believe the company’s financial difficulties and, instead, demanded that management open its books of account.
The low price of copper in the world market and the union problems had prompted the ACMDC management to close the firm in 1994.
Cuizon continued the fight, this time, for payment of separation pay and benefits of the more than 5,000 workers who became jobless.
Rodrigo Caterbas, Pama director, said that last year, Cuizon and their group were allowed by ACMDC to get scrap metal to offset their unpaid benefits.
However, Cuizon encountered another trouble when Atlas Agricultural Miners Unpaid Employees Association (AAMUEA) headed by Billones and Eleuterio Cangi secured a notice of levy on the ACMDC scrap metal.
Caterbas said Billones’ group was able to get 53 trucks of scrap metal from ACMDC before company officials discovered that only 22 of the 93 petitioners were Atlas workers.
ACMDC filed charges of perjury and robbery against Billones’ group and Cuizon and other Pama members were made witnesses.
Last Sept. 30, Billones was arrested by Cuizon’s men for carrying an unlicensed firearm. Billones was released last Oct. 4 after posting an P80,000 bail.
In February 2004, Cuizon was arrested for carrying a 9mm handgun with six bullets while on board his Toyota Corolla car, the same vehicle he was driving when he was ambushed yesterday.
But Caterbas said the case filed against Cuizon in connection with the firearm was dismissed by the court last month.
(October 11, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
